Nghe An children benefit from school milk programme
Up to half of children attending kindergartens and elementary schools in the central province of Nghe An have benefited from a pilot school milk programme launched last December.
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The programme was carried out at a total cost of VND53 billion (US$2.4 million), of which VND30 billion (US$1.35 million) is sourced from TH Group, one of the major producers of dairy products in the country.
After the half-year implementation, the programme has come to 17 out of 21 towns and districts in the province, helping reduce the prevalence of underweight children and children with stunted growth in the localities.
Nghe An province has urged relevant agencies to join hands for the programme to run until 2020.
According to UNICEF, one-third of Vietnamese children under the age of five are stunted as a result of malnutrition. But the country is making progress, currently leading the way in lowering rates of malnutrition.
Data from the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDG) initiative shows that the rate of child malnutrition in Vietnam is declining by 1.5% every year. From 44% in 1994, the rate has dropped to under 20% at present.
